Hundreds Already Nominated For Recognition As One Of The 10 Best Companies In Employee Benefits May 1 Entry Submission Deadline Nearing; Blue Ribbon Judging Panel Unveiled
April 6, 2005 (Des Moines, Iowa) - Nearly 400 companies from across the nation have been nominated to earn a place among rankings of The Principal® 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security. Companies have until May 1, 2005, to submit entries for the competition, which is sponsored by the Principal Financial Group®. Companies can find out if they qualify at www.principal.com.
The Principal 10 Best Companies is a nationwide recognition program that honors growing companies (five to 1,000 employees) for excellence in employee benefits programs. A blue ribbon panel of judges has been assembled to work with Mathew Greenwald & Associates, a premier market research company, in evaluating entrants and selecting winners.
"Being named as one of The Principal 10 Best Companies and receiving national recognition in The Wall Street Journal and locally made a tremendous impact on boosting our employee morale and enhanced our reputation as a desirable employer," said Terri Spriggs, Human-Resources Manager, American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.
The year's judges include : Dallas L. Salisbury, president and CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute; Deborah J. Lucas, PhD., Household International professor of finance, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; Nevin E. Adams, editor-in-chief, Plan Sponsor Magazine; Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP); Corey Rosen, executive director and founder of the National Center for Employee Ownership; David Wray, president, Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America; and several recent winners of The Principal 10 Best.
"Now in our fourth year, we are excited that so many companies are coming forward to participate in this prestigious program, which honors their commitment to their employees' financial security," said Renee Schaaf, vice president, The Principal. "Each year, our judges have been impressed by how growing businesses are creatively adapting to the rapidly changing benefit environment. Our panel is anxious to once again uncover innovation as these leading small and medium-sized companies achieve the balance between offering benefits that attract and keep the best talent while at the same time managing rising costs." The innovative tactics of The Principal 10 Best winners are published in an annual Best Practices Guide made available at no charge to any organization at http://www.principal.com/theprincipal10best/index.htm. These include inexpensive and effective tactics such as the following:
- Provide affordable, competitive healthcare options
- Increase employee participation in the company sponsored retirement plan
- Communicate the importance of participating in the employee benefit package, and help employees make informed decisions
"Companies who achieve the honor as one of The Principal 10 Best become standard bearers for their peers and gain recognition among their employees and potential recruits as employers of choice," said Schaaf. "As a leader in the financial services industry, we understand that financial security is a critical element in any employers' success in recruiting, retaining and motivating employees."
In addition to being showcased in a best practices guide on The Principal Web site, www.principal.com, winning companies receive other national and local media recognition as well as an opportunity to share a gift with their community. The Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc. will make a donation in the name of each company to a local charity of each organization's choice.
To enter, companies can visit http://www.principal.com/theprincipal10best/entry.htm and complete the entry form. Companies are not required to be clients of The Principal to enter. Qualifying companies may submit entries without having been nominated.
About The Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group®
(The Principal)®1
is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $168.7 billion in assets under management2 and serves some 14.9 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.
EDITORS' NOTE: To obtain a copy of The Principal Best Practices Guide for Employee Financial Security or to arrange an interview with winners from the 2004 Principal 10 Best Companies, call Terri Shell at 515/283-8858.
1) "The Principal Financial Group®"
and "The Principal®" are registered
service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal
Financial Group.
2) As of December 31, 2004
